Gaza militants resumed their rocket fire toward Israel on Thursday, striking the outskirts of two major cities a day after launching the largest barrage since an eight-day Israeli offensive in late 2012.

Thursday’s attacks set off air-raid sirens in the southern cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon. The rockets landed in open areas, but flew deeper into Israel than Wednesday’s attacks on southern Israeli border towns. There have been no casualties in the latest flare-up.

Gaza militant groups said they resumed their rocket fire in response to what they say are Israeli “provocations” and violations of a cease-fire, including an airstrike that killed three Islamic Jihad militants earlier this week.

And the laugh-lines:

Both sides have largely observed a cease-fire that ended the Israeli offensive against rocket launchers in November 2012, in which Israel and Gaza militants engaged in eight days of heavy fighting.

That “largely observed” cease fire? 71 rockets and mortars have been fired since then, not counting the latest outburst.

CNN’s article has this lovely touch in a pullquote under the story highlights:

A militant wing of Islamic Jihad in Gaza claimed responsibility for the rocket fire

Lovely, CNN. Pretend that PIJ is anything but a terrorist group. The U.S. Government has declared them so, but CNN has to cater to its international anti-Israel audience, I suppose.

Meantime, Hamas continues with the stale old “It’s self-defense” excuse.

“The Israeli occupation is fully responsible for the escalation taking place. This escalation started off with the execution of three members of the Islamic Jihad and we assure you that the Palestinian resistance is defending itself when confronting these crimes,” Zurhi said.

Army hits 2 targets with artillery fire, 29 more in airstrike after Islamic Jihad fired dozens of rockets at cities and towns in southern Israel.

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